We were excellent: Ian Evatt applauds his Bolton players after Gillingham win

Posted Sunday, March 06, 2022 by PA

Bolton manager Ian Evatt was delighted with his side’s performance in a 3-0 win over Gillingham at Priestfield, which saw them claim a ninth victory in 12 games.

Aaron Morley, Declan John and Jon Dadi Bodvarsson punished a lacklustre Gillingham, who went down to 10 men on the hour mark when Daniel Phillips was sent off for a second yellow card.

Evatt, whose side now sit in 11th place in the League One table, believes Bolton should have scored even more but was very encouraged by what he saw.

He said: “I thought we were excellent from start to finish. The only slight disappointment is that we could have scored a lot more.

“We dominated the game, we controlled the ball like I want us to do and 3-0 probably flattered Gillingham today, which says a lot.

“Gillingham have been doing really well, Neil [Harris] has got them organised and they’ve had some excellent results since he took over.

“This is a really difficult place to come and, as I said in the week, these games have been our kryptonite this season.

“I think that’s as good a performance as you’ll see at any level. We moved the ball well on a difficult surface. How we found space and trusted each other throughout was excellent.

“This team is a work in progress, we had seven new arrivals in January, but I thought this was the first time that we showed some really good signs. We’ve won nine out of 12 games now, which is exceptional in a tough, unforgiving league. There’s a lot to be encouraged by.”

Gillingham manager Neil Harris agreed that the right team won, and although his side were on the end of a heavy defeat he was not too worried.

He said: “I wouldn’t say the scoreline is harsh on us today. I thought our levels were slightly off and I’ll have to look into that.

“I’ll look into the training week as maybe we worked too hard, but we also got things wrong tactically without the ball.

“It’s a reality check. We’ve come off the back of a really strong performance and result at Lincoln, but we are where we are over the course of the season for a reason. We’ve done brilliantly until today and this is a harsh setback.

“The red card changed the complexion of the game, but no complaints from me with either booking.

“I just said to Dan in the changing room that this is his third red card of the season and all of them have been for two yellows.

“He’s an extremely talented young man and I love working with him, but he has to earn the trust of people. That’s a big ban coming for him now.”